Whooping Cough Cases Skyrocket In Pittsburgh Area

PITTSBURGH, PA — Cases of pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, soared in Allegheny County last year, and preliminary reports of chronic hepatitis C reversed a six-year decline in reported cases.

Those numbers were released Monday by the health department as it announced updates to its infectious disease dashboard, which also provides statistics on gastrointestinal diseases such as salmonella, listeria and E. coli, as well as information on influenza, measles, chicken pox, malaria, West Nile virus and chronic hepatitis C.

“The health department uses reports of disease to determine who is at risk and how to prevent transmission,” said Brandon Doumont, the health department epidemiologist and coordinator of the dashboard.

"Sharing this information gives healthcare providers, community organizers, and the public the power to make informed decisions on food safety, making a vaccine appointment, put on mosquito repellent, or see their healthcare provider.”

According to the dashboard, there were 338 whooping cough cases in the county last year, compared to just seven cases in 2023. Preliminary reports of chronic hepatitis C increased to 669 in 2024, up from 572 in 2023.